It Always Ends So Soon
by soccermommaxie
Summary: When a thunder storm hits, a terrified Jace seeks comfort at the apartment of his neighbor, Sebastian, and finds a bit more than he had been looking for.


As Jace stumbled up the cold stairwell to the hallway his room was in, all that he could think about was how fucking loud he must be. The keys in his hand rattled and jingled, the bags he held (more like _juggled_ ) in his arms rustled loudly, their contents threatening to spill, and Jace was grunting as he attempted to keep his balance and not drop everything, including himself, back down the stairs. It was tough. Especially since it was relatively early in the morning, (early enough that Jace would probably get a few weird looks upon seeing that he decided to get groceries) and that his neighbors must be covering their ears frustratedly. God, how embarrassing.

When he finally reached his apartment door, he was lucky enough to be standing on two feet. He was holding around four paper bags, full to the brim, with no handles. Sighing in relief, he attempted to level his keys with the lock, but of course, it didn't turn out quite as he'd hoped.

Everything suddenly began to fall out of his arms. First the items at the top of the bags, and then the bags themselves. It was all over.

At least that's what Jace _thought_. At some point among his impending doom, a person appeared in front of Jace, holding a carton of eggs- thankfully the only item that had fallen.

"Oh my god. You saved me. I thought I was done for." Jace exhaled deeply, his face practically hidden behind his bags. He began to notice that he had been sweating for some time.

The egg-savior chuckled, setting a hand on top of Jace's bag and lowering it so he could see the man's face. What Jace saw certainly wasn't what he was expecting.

A tall, handsome person, around Jace's age, stood before him. The boy had blonde hair, platinum blonde, with these dark, dark eyes. Jace felt a chill roll down his spine. His skin was a bit pale, and his cheekbones were high and very sharp. His appearance almost reminded Jace of a snake; calculated and expecting. Certainly not the kind of hero Jace imagined.

"Oh," Jace stuttered out, a bit unceremoniously. "Thanks."

"The pleasure is mine. I watched you practically waddle all the way to your door. I knew I should stay in case you dropped all your things." He replied cooly, a casual smile playing at his lips. He kept his hand on Jace's bag.

"How did you know I would drop them?" Jace asked in response, too nervous to maintain eye contact with the serpentine boy.

He chuckled again. "I figured."

Jace's thoughts ran wild as he stared at his groceries and the boy's fingers atop his food. His fingers were long and a bit bony, but they had a beauty to them, a grace. He wondered if they were dry and calloused or if they were soft-

"I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" He asked, cocking his head to the side curiously. Jace cleared his throat (and hopefully, his mind).

"Yeah, actually. Moved in last week. I just got a ton of groceries for my empty refrigerator." He laughed a bit. "I haven't really met anyone in the building. Well except you. Sort of." Real smooth.

"I picked that up. I'm Sebastian, I live over there," he pointed to a room a few doors down. "What's your name?"

"Jace," He replied, feeling his stomach twist.

"Well, Jace, it was nice to meet you," Sebastian smiled a very charming smile, fiddling with the carton of eggs in his hands. "Will you need help getting into your apartment?" He gestured to Jace's bags with his head.

"Oh. Um. I don't think so. I think I'll be alright." Jace replied, feeling a little starstruck. Sebastian smiled again, setting the eggs in one of Jace's bags. Sebastian's eyes were dark and quite beautiful, but something about him caused Jace's stomach to twist and turn. Something about Sebastian made Jace nervous. Perhaps it was in a good way.

"If you say so," he said in finality, "I'll be in my room if you need me."

Jace nodded, unsure of what else to say, and he watched as Sebastian began to walk back to his apartment room. He opened the door, went inside, and closed it, leaving Jace in silence.

* * *

Jace entered his apartment and quickly set down his things before he collapsed. He wasn't sure what it was- the suddenness of it all? Sebastian's good looks? Whatever it was, Jace attempted to relax against the wall of the room. His knees were weak and he felt himself slide to the floor, a strange laughter beginning to bubble from somewhere inside his chest. Nothing was funny.

Jace soon found himself sitting on the floor, laughing hysterically with wide eyes, a cold sweat forming on his forehead. Violent tremors wracked his body and he began to curl in on himself. The overwhelming giddiness hit him like a wave and suddenly, he experienced the same sensation one feels when they are afraid.

No, that couldn't be fear. What did he have to be afraid of?

Jace was no longer laughing. He slowly sat up, staring forward. Shaking his head, he set his jaw and decided to forget the strange occurrence. There were more important things.

* * *

Sebastian remained a mystery during the next two weeks. Jace did not happen across him like he had the last time; Sebastian did not wait outside his apartment door, or attempt to speak to Jace, or, when Jace thought about it, even seem to leave his home at all. It was strange, but perhaps Jace was always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jace tried his best not to think anything of it, though this was a failed attempt.

He would sometimes find his head wandering back to Sebastian when he didn't have much else to do; admittedly, it largely had to do with the man's charm and poise, and how his dark eyes danced, but did not shine, like most eyes do.

Sebastian had a strange, otherworldly beauty, if it could even be called that. Although Jace had only met him once, he felt as if Sebastian had infected his mind; those dark eyes were in his head almost always and the mysterious smile certainly did nothing to help.

He was a mystery. He was the kind of person you see on the subway once and then find in your thoughts and dreams, day after day. Actually, that was almost exactly Jace's situation.

In any case, Jace knew that although they were neighbors, he simply did not have the mental capacity to speak to Sebastian again. Well, he didn't have the courage to initiate a conversation, at least. If Sebastian decided to come to Jace's house and strike up a discussion, Jace wasn't one to oppose.

It seemed that the gods were on Jace's side that evening. To Jace, at least.

* * *

After spending a day on his computer, doing virtually nothing with his time, Jace absentmindedly noticed that the sky had grown quite dark, it being only 6:00 P.M. Moreover, it was summer, the season with the longer days and shorter nights.

His questions, if he had taken his eyes off his monitor to even ask, were answered when Jace heard a dreaded noise; the noise that haunted his nightmares more often than not.

He flinched so hard that his laptop nearly slid off his body. Instantly in panic mode, Jace froze completely. The then noise returned again, louder this time.

It was thunder. Jace gasped so sharply that it was more of a hiccup, and his eyes squeezed shut as he felt a pained groan escape his trembling lips. His heart rate having instantly quickened, Jace was unsure what to do. This was his first thunderstorm in his new apartment.

He had had safe places where he would often hide in his old house, where although it would not provide any more protection than anywhere else in the house, it gave Jace comfort. In his apartment, he had forgotten to plan a spot to hide.

The noise was unbearable, and it was accompanied by endless heavy rain- a sound that felt like a hundred gunshots each second. Jace didn't notice he was crying.

Before he could manage to deny it, Jace found himself thinking of Sebastian. Any other person, really. He needed someone. However, he doubted he had the capacity to actually leave the safety of his apartment and go outside.

He was running out of options. Jace shook his head violently, cold sweat flying from his forehead and hair.

Before he could stop himself, Jace got to his feet and bolted out of his apartment, not even thinking to lock it, and arrived in front of Sebastian's room, a mere three large steps away. He quickly pounded his fist against the door at the pace so fast it seemed like the heartbeat of a hummingbird. Or maybe that was Jace's heart.

Seconds later, the door swung open, and a puzzled Sebastian stood in the doorway. Jace, rather impolitely, disappeared into the unfamiliarity of Sebastian's home.

For a moment, Sebastian just stood there, the door still open in his hand, staring at Jace with an open mouth, clearly stunned.

"Close the door, please, close the- ahh-!" he was cut off by another crack of thunder. It struck all too nearby, and Jace felt himself physically weaken, nearly collapsing to his feet.

Sebastian began to understand the situation. He closed the door and approached Jace, gesturing towards the couch, which could only mean 'sit down'.

Jace nodded and carefully sat onto the comfortable burgundy couch, and the presence of another person, especially it being the man of his recent fantasies, managed to calm his heart slightly.

"You have astraphobia," Sebastian spoke from inside a closet; it was more a statement than a question. Jace turned towards the voice, and Sebastian soon returned holding a large cream blanket that looked very soft.

"Yeah," Jace replied slowly, not taking his eyes off of the cloth in Sebastian's hands. The man handed it to Jace, and Jace eagerly accepted it, wrapping it around his shoulders and letting it lay across his lap. Sebastian sat next to Jace.

"Interesting that our second meeting is this way, considering our first was an accident," Sebastian mused, a small, entertained smile on his lips. Jace suddenly felt embarrassed and very self-conscious, and his cheeks reddened. Sebastian noticed this and laughed.

"I'm sorry," Jace managed to say as he stared down at his hands. "I'm new around here and I hadn't found a safe spot yet, and-" he was once again cut off by the boom of thunder. He gasped and hid his face out of reflex, burying his face in his lap.

Sebastian, to Jace's surprise, wrapped an arm around him and held him tightly. When the fear subsided slightly, Jace attempted to look at Sebastian, who held him to his chest.

It was comforting. It was what he needed.

Sebastian's fingers stroked Jace's shoulder and Jace closed his eyes and attempted to control his breathing. Sebastian smelled like an adult; like expensive cologne and spices. It was a scent that made his heart pound.

"You don't need to apologize," Sebastian finally replied, his voice hypnotic. "I am flattered you came to me."

Jace smiled despite himself, and tried not to think to hard of the situation, or else he might say the wrong thing.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen each other since the first time we met," Jace said, his voice shaking as he was still afraid of the storm. "I'm disappointed, actually."

Sebastian was silent for a moment, perhaps taken aback by Jace's honesty. Perhaps he was thinking something entirely different.

Jace managed to crane his neck upwards and look at Sebastian.

"Thank you," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. It had been a few moments since the last sound of thunder, and Jace felt his spirits lifting.

Sebastian looked forward at the wall for a moment, and then back down into Jace's eyes. Jace felt his heart beating faster, but he insisted on staying calm. Calm like Sebastian.

It was then when Sebastian slipped his hand behind Jace's head and pulled him forward into a warm, soft kiss. Jace, so wrapped up in his fantasy world, immediately deepened the kiss by wrapping both his arms around Sebastian's neck, pulling him closer.

Sebastian seemed to have his own agenda, and he removed his hands from Jace's head and slipped them under him, onto Jace's back. Sebastian lowered him and slowly made his way on top of the boy and in between his legs.

Jace was pleased by this. Grinning widely into the kiss, he spread his legs so as to not suffocate him. Soft moans echoed in the small room, and Jace felt every bit of fear from the storm evaporate from him as Sebastian groped his thighs.

Jace felt himself become aroused, and he began squirming hips and huffing against Sebastian's mouth, the pressure between his legs becoming uncomfortable. Sebastian noticed this and held Jace's thigh, pulling it up so as to say, 'wrap them around me.' Jace did so.

Wrapping his legs around Sebastian's waist, Sebastian had perfect access to Jace's lower area, even though they were clothed. He ground down, or up, rather, it being in an upward motion, into Jace's erection and Jace threw his head back and let out a long, drawled moan.

Sebastian smirked and chuckled, leaning in to kiss Jace's ear, and murmured, "that wasn't real, was it? Because you sound like a porn star."

Jace, suddenly very self-conscious, felt his cheeks burn as he covered his face with his hands. He opted not to answer.

* * *

The next few moments were mostly a blur. Sebastian insisted on unbuttoning Jace's pants and pulling them off of his legs, giving him better access to Jace's erection. He then pulled Jace's t-shirt off and discarded it somewhere. Jace could feel himself blushing harder each passing second and he bit his lip to hide his widening grin.

Sebastian then assumed their original position, grinding into Jace, while he remained fully clothed. Jace felt embarrassed and quite exposed, but he decided it was probably all part of the game.

Jace, despite this, was in heaven. Even though they weren't having sex officially, waves of hot pleasure took over his body and his head was tilted back, his teeth grinding together and his eyes nearly squeezed shut. He hadn't felt pleasure like this in, well… ever, really.

And through it all, Sebastian gave him this _look_. This knowing smirk with dark, dancing eyes. The look made him feel like he was being watched by hundreds of people, put on display for their amusement. He felt exploited.

Sebastian's rough pants felt amazing against the thinner fabric of Jace's underwear, and when Sebastian began to speed up, rolling his hips and arching his back, Jace was convinced he was going to go mad with pleasure. He knew he could easily climax then and there, but he didn't want it to end. He wanted to feel like this always.

Sebastian removed his hands from Jace's waist. At the sad, confused expression Jace gave him in reaction, Sebastian leaned in to kiss the corner of Jace's mouth.

"You'll like this." He whispered in a tone that made Jace's eyes roll back. Jace nodded, trusting Sebastian.

The man with the dark eyes trailed his fingers all the way up Jace's bare chest, which gave Jace chills, and he finally rested one hand on Jace's throat.

Confused, Jace scrunched his eyebrows and glanced up at Sebastian. He was still grinning, that impish grin, but he seemed to know what he was doing. So Jace backed down.

Slowly, Sebastian wrapped his cold fingers around Jace's throat. Jace swallowed reflexively, and closed his eyes, bracing himself without realizing it.

"No." Sebastian spoke sternly. It was the first time he hadn't been gentle. Jace's eyes opened immediately. "I want you to look at me. Do not take your eyes off of me."

Jace set his jaw but complied. He stared into Sebastian's eyes, those dark eyes, and Sebastian began to move his hips again. The pleasure returned, but it did not feel quite as good as before, for a reason Jace could not identify.

With one hand wrapped more tightly around Jace's throat, Sebastian quickened his pace, puffing hot breaths as he did so. Seeing him in pleasure did give Jace pleasurable chills, even if he was still slightly uncomfortable with Sebastian's sudden command.

Despite what had happened a moment ago, Jace tried to leave it behind and focus on what felt good. He focused on the way Sebastian's breath felt on his own lips. He focused on the way Sebastian's arm flexed, the one not attached to the hand that held his throat. He focused on the tightness in his esophagus, how it was harder to breathe…

For a moment, Jace felt afraid. He still had some air to say, "Sebastian, stop," but it was choked and tight.

Sebastian, even if he had heard Jace's request, did not stop. In fact, his eyes darkened.

"Sebastian-" Jace tried again, but he was cut off.

"I've been watching you for a long time, Jace Wayland." The blonde man above him drawled out his words in a low voice, as if it were a song. He was not smiling, but his eyes were more alive than ever.

"Wh-" Jace began, but Sebastian tightened his grip.

"Do you actually think our first meeting was an accident?" Sebastian's voice almost shook. "Accidents." He barked a laugh. "There are no accidents."

Jace's eyes were wide and afraid. Breathing was difficult.

"I even had a plan, but you beat me to the punch. God, you're so easy." Sebastian adjusted his position. He scooted up, now sitting on Jace's stomach, and wrapped his second hand around Jace's throat. Jace swatted his hands at Sebastian and tried to claw at him in any way, but it was no use; Sebastian was strong and he had built up a significant pain tolerance.

Jace felt the corners of his vision go dark. He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating.

"The second I saw you first, God, your throat was so perfect," his voice was like a moan on its own, and the thought of Jace's throat clearly gave him pleasure. "I knew I had to do it."

Jace, as he tried as hard as he could to pry Sebastian's fingers off of his throat, absentmindedly noticed that the man was hard. He felt sexual pleasure from asphyxiating, or even murdering, others. That's what this was all about.

Sebastian cocked his head to the side, grinned, and lessened his grip just a little bit, clearly to keep Jace alive just a bit longer. Jace attempted to breathe in as much as he could, which alleviated his headache slightly, but it wasn't much use when Sebastian held his throat as tightly as before.

"Now I'm going to watch the light leave your eyes," Sebastian murmured, gazing at Jace through his eyelashes, "and I'm not going to lose a wink of sleep…"

Then he pressed with all his force. Jace's eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his head and the lack of air caused his body to squirm and tremor, his lungs screaming for air. Jace kicked his feet and flailed his arms, trying to do anything, _anything_. His entire world was collapsing. It was all ending.

Finally, his vision became totally black and his body became limp.

The pressure was gone. Everything was gone.

Jace was dead.

* * *

When Jace stopped struggling, Sebastian waited a long moment, and then stopped.

With his adrenaline pumping, it was a bit difficult to tell whether or not Jace had a pulse. However, he held his ear to Jace's chest, and it was silent. Dead silent.

As he sat up on top of Jace's corpse, the body of the boy who stared forward in confused terror even in death, Sebastian smiled and gazed at the purple bruise forming around Jace's neck. It was like artwork. He almost didn't want to dispose of the body.

Sebastian got off of Jace's body and stood up. Noticing the discomfort in his groin, and how it hadn't been alleviated, Sebastian sighed. He leaned against his apartment wall and folded his arms, staring at the body in deep thought.

"I should stop rushing myself." He wondered aloud. "It always ends so soon."


End file.
